Explosive.



invrrno snags PATENT OFFICE.

FIN SPARRE, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGN OR TO THE E. I. DU PONT DE N EMOURS POWDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A COR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

EXPLOSIVE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FIN SPARRE, asubject of the King of Norway, residing at Wilmington, county of Newcastle, and State of Delaware,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Explosives, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

I have discovered that tetranitrodiglycerin, O H O (ON possesses several excellent properties making it very well suited as an ingredient of smokeless powder. It is insensitive to blows and friction, making its own manufacture, and the, manufacture of explosives containing it, comparatively safe. It is an excellent solvent for nitrocellulose and makes a splendid colloid Without application of a volatile solvent. It is non-freezing at temperatures met with in practice, so that explosives containing tetranitrodiglycerin keep their strength in the winter, and it does not exude from the powder grains.

My invention consists of an explosive composition or smokeless powder containing, in addition to tetranitrodiglycerin, nitrocellulose and preferably also nitroglycerin and nitrotoluol.

Dinitroglycerin has been suggested as an ingredient for smokeless powder with a view of making a non-freezing nitroglycerin smokeless powder, but dinitroglycerin is not stable enough, as it gives off nitrous fumes above.50 de ees centigrade. Dinitrochlorhydrin has a so been suggested but it cannot be ractically used, because hydrochloric acid? causin corrosion of the gun, is evolved by its com ustion. None of these objections is applicable to 'tetranitrodi lycerin.

' Tetranitrodiglycerin is formed y the nitration of diglycerin, the process bein substantially the same as the nitration o glycerin to form the ordinary trinitroglycerin. In my invention, tetranitrodiglycerin may be used with or without mixture with ordinary nitroglycerin:

The manufacture. of smokeless powder containing tetr'anitrodi ,glycerin does not differ from known processes. A preferred way is to mix the wet nitrocellulose with the tetranitrodiglycerin and the other ingredients, if any, in the presence of water and steam, after which they are dried and colloided on hot rolls.

The foll wing are preferred compositions embodying my invention.

I. Nitrocellulose 40 to 65%, preferably 50%, tetranitrodiglycerin 35 to 60%, preferably 50%.

II. Nitrocellulose 40 to 65%, preferably 50% nitroglycerin less than 50%, preferably 30%, tetranitrodiglycerin more than 5%, preferably 20%.

III. Nitrocellulose 40 to 65% preferably 48%, trinitrotoluol less than 25%, preferably 12%, nitroglycerin less than 40%, preferably 25%, tetranitrodiglycerin more than 5% preferably 15%.

IV. Nitrocellulose 40% to 65%, preferably 55%, Vaseline less than preferably 5%, trinitrotoluol more than preferably nitroglycerin less than 25%, preferably 10%, tetranitrodiglycerin 2 to 20%, referably 5%.

V. itrocellulose to 70%, preferably 60%, trinitrotoluol 10' to preferabl 30%, tetranitrodiglycerin 5 to 30%, pre erably 10%.

In case Vaseline is used, it may be first dissolved in the tetranitrodiglycerin before mixing with the other ingredients as before described.

In an application of even date herewith, Serial, No. 334,082, I have set forth the use tetranitrodiglycerin as an ingredient of blasting explosives, but my present-invention is confined to its use as an ingredient of smokeless powder.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. An explosive containin and tetranitrodiglycerin S15) described 2. An explosive containing nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin and tetranitrddiglycerin substantially as described.

nitrocellulose stantial ly as 3. An explosive containing nitrocellulose,

nitroglycerin, trinitrotoluol and" tetranitroand less than 60% diglycerin substantially as described. 4. An explosive containing nitrocellulose,

trinitrotoluol and tetranitrodiglycerin sub- 5 stantially as described.

5. An explosive containing nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, trinitrotoluol, tetranitrodiglycerin and Vaseline substantially as described. 6. An explosive containing nitrocellulose of tetranitrodiglycerin 10 substantially as described.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Wilmington, on this 7th day of Sept, 1906. r

- I FIN SPARRE. Witnesses:

FRANK H. MASON, S. M. MUNDA. 

